New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-14
ART NEWS AND COMMENTS.
THE WEEK IN ART CIRCLES.
NoTEs ON AMERICAN LANDSCAPE ARr-NEws HERE
AND ELsEwHERE.

The exhibitions OF the season bringing American
landscape painting into the prominence which it de-
sor, e. Such exhibitions that at the Union League
Club two sales collections and special exhibitions
have helped to impress upon the public the amount
and variety OF good work which Is being done by
American painters OF landscapes. Last week cohec
ton Of Mr. whittredge's pictures attcsted the SIN
esrity and persistent love OF nature OF one of the
older artists and this week the pictures OF "a %
earnest painter OF woodland scenery the late w pss
Baker are exhibited OF the same gallery. Mr. nltt-
fodee has painted and exhibited Tor more years than
Mr. Baker numbered and he WAS the president OF tno
National Academy before MIR. Baker entered i1s
achools but both artists alike in painting laho
scapes dstinctvey American With perfect honesty OF
purpose and In manner which bears the stamp OF no
foreign master Is not pGss1 ,n 70 is she Way Of
such comparison a. general view Oh Sulreh.
lions saggests His pictures are examples Oh
paintipg iust as those OF Mr. C. II. DAVIS now eAhio
tied here are essentially subjective as regards exeSu-
ton. Mr.. Baker product OF nome tI"hi"E. .
Davis's later education was acquireu u. ny g.
Arts IL ia needless push comparisons furtner 10,
tbese collections good in different WAYS can pe anu
should be studied during the next rev days miscei-
laneous exhibition ia often found cohius' uuo ea0s9
Individual exhibitions furnish valuable means OF
measuring capacity and progress American landscape
art is making strong she wing this year and IT Is
pleasant 10 know that more and more collectors are
learning to appreciate its quality
The fifty three. pictsres and studies by Mr.. G. H.
Davis, which are exhibited at the gallery OF Messrs
Richard e. Co., form a collection whose merit is I'M
usually even and at the same time exceptionally high
Mr. Davis has been pupil OF Boulanger and Leeovre:
His large Evening" and between N,gh; anu LAY
may possibly suggest Harpignios, and his Passing
Day shows traces of prevalent Partisan manhersn
But with the exception OF such suggestions one disn
aiyiduality His range is not narrow tor he shows
realistic painting of rocks, figure piece, studies OF
well lighted al bors and grain fields, and carefui draw
hgs Of tree forms well as his more familiar twi-
Gshts The painter OF so varied collection OF pct
ures az this Is not to be called mannerst This col
lection bears the OF tine as
two things which too often exist separately ne mas
learned how to paint and he paints because he has
so~sns TO- say ne nSS smu. but they
are almost invariably interesting either In their lines
or variety in the relief given BY well-paced trees In
the scoents and especially In the treatment OF dls
tsncc His drawing Is good and his pictures are hon
estly painted and we'll carried out He never lets
do dt and %d
die distance In an attempt at tone" hs adnnlane
landscape The Last Rays" s. like previous moditi-
cations Of the theme, good illustration OF his
substantial foreground painting. The earth Is real
and its texture well az the sotness and dampness
ure the best sing illustration the artists merits,
for Il includes simple and vel balanced compo'tion,
much linear charm in the contours OF the roihng mus
q %SGS ali .s. Wo
ihetc feeling This Is tho second and more
characteristic Of Mr.. Davss work Ihere are palnte.s
who sneer at oil talk Of sentiment, and claim ioa'
there il nothing outside Of technique There are isJ
men who talk about poetpainler whenever they see
picture which is less apparent than tn1.ogrSpn;
into insignifoance 1t might DO apPhea 10 MI, laws
after few years more have teAted bis endurance.
But IT is safe to cav of him that to his love and n
mate observation OF nature added peculiar sensi,
tveaess to many subtler phases OF landscape anu
atmosphere, quick sympathy with certain deicste
natural effects and strong feeling tor beauty. In
other ords, Mr. Davis deeper into nature than
the layman and this is what the painter must DO VINO
would call himself an artist
Some Of Mr.. Davis's LANDSCAPES may be vaguely de-
scribed Is "ideazed." but II should be noted that
forms are rarely dessly sacrificed. His rendering
Of distance in the charming little Approach OF Night
tho frank direct outdoor study Village on the
Pl.n," or the interesting On the Meadows" In
tho latter pctu re- which Ia extremely simple In COM
position the sky as we'll the sdrot variation OF the
moro distant plain 10 distinctive feature here Mr.
Davis has gwen unusual care to his SKY win e1ceent
results but 1t must be acknowledged that his skies
are usually the weakest parts OF bis pictures and often
unnecessarily out of tone with bis landscapes In the
large evening the artist has shown the mist rising
IN The twilight from low damp ground, but the thin
quality eaden colorng and needless we o. Inc po
ure a:e much against Il. Between Night and Day y.
EXCELLENT in sentiment and in the faithfulnsss OF the
tree FORMS Ia OF the best OF tho evening enects
and the Summer Night" is an interesting moohhgnt
study A charming twilight. Tho brooE' Is. 10 10
studies of willows and fresh transcripts OF woodland
and broo side scenes. The subjects are chosen with
rare good taste and however o. ~
picture while he rarely srays tar from nature Ihere
IA 40 much of either literai.m arfcality in current
art that work like this which combines knowledge,
fidelity aud true sentiment Is to be welcomed Mr.
Davis IL a very young artist His career has only Do
gun, but its promise Is undeniabie
The portrat of ex President Arthur, which Mr. East
man johnson is to pant tor the Union League Club
will probably be placed in the library to correspond
with Mr. Wyatt Eatons portrait OF President Garned:
The corresponding place is occupied by portrait
of Henry CLAW. The picture by Mr. Johnson
shown at last weeks exhibition and in the artists fund
r sS@s tme but Of the pictures Of tor the
Academy exhibition Is large genre by Mr.; Jonns2n.
an important" composition, showing Nantucket
Ssn ssS pso Of Mr. %nsow new man
which deals with another episode OF li1e-savinR.
Among other recent pictures is portrait OF the late
8. j. Tilden three quarters length, oy MT FRANK
Fowler which will be shown this week at private
view at Mr.. Fowler's studio.
The publication of such luxurious catalogues those
of the Stewart and Morgan collections illustrates the
magnitude to which dealings 10 works of art have
sror in this city. The business Of buying and selling
reached proportions which would have been deemed
edible ten years ago. The fact that these cats-
iocues are published and readily sold is significant
urious tastes as the payment OF $s85COO Tor paint
ngs in three evenings. The Stewart catalogue, which
IL bound in white boards instead OF velinm taller
and wider than the catalogue OF the Morgan collection
and the number Of pages is about fifty less The paper
and typography are excellent and the wide margins
will delight ali lovers OF largo paper tolios The
Morgan catalogue contained twenty nine etch'
ipgs twenty-fOur photographers and photo
graphs and various vignette portraits The
Stewart collection has seventeen etchlngs,
eleven photographers, twenty prototypes, eight
gelane prints and eighteen prints by other procosees
Is greater variety therefore furnishes not unner
ssng study in current methods OF reproduction The
fronspece is phototype after LIE Clears POI trait OF
Mr. Stewart list OF the etchers and their subjects
has already given aud extended notice
sary Mr.. clifford has made good etching OF the
larger Toyou. althoueh the landscape seems pitched
An lower key than the original The distance might
have been carried further. and the foreground blacks
are exaggerated. But this is better work than Mr..
Of the colorng hardly suggested aud the plate owes
much to the printer. Examples Of strong work in the
nntried field OF still lite are furnished IN
Er L. Smiths etchngs after o royal Worcester